In photo (from left to right):
Cameron Wood (2023), Aaron Straka (2023), Alex Peterson (2022), Lane Harlan (2023), Ben Rodriguez (2023), Eric Sawin (2023), Elliot Thompson (2022), Spencer Knapp (2023)
On Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Washington State University’s Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life (CFSL) held its annual Arete Awards Ceremony honoring over 80 Washington State University Greek leaders and chapters (WSU Insider).
“Arete is a Greek word for excellence and moral virtue.”
At the ceremony, Phi Kappa Theta’s Washington Alpha Delta chapter was presented with the Chapter Operations award recognizing the best chapter operations on campus. Some of the contributing factors for this honor include operational consistency, strong relationships within its executive board (the chapter’s collegiate leadership team) as well as inspiring pride and tradition within their chapter. Washington Alpha Delta’s president, Ben Rodriquez, highlighted how the chapter’s leader’s contributions led to the CFSL recognition:
Consistency in how the chapter is run by each executive board. Going into our positions, we all knew what was expected out of our position and communicated effectively with past exec members (leaders) to get a good idea of what their specific role entails.
Strong relationships within our executive board. All of us communicated frequently and left no stone unturned. Our weekly exec meetings were used as an opportunity to bring up all issues relating to our fraternity.
Pride and tradition of Phi Kappa Theta. We stick true to our values and give expecting nothing thereof. We were lucky enough to have the late Paul Allen as one of our brothers and we are forever thankful of the chapter house he has given us. All members are aware of this and respect the house and the operations that allow it to sustain itself.
The chapter is looking forward to the future as they develop plans to continue growth. Rodriquez, mentioned their ongoing efforts, “We hope to continue right where we left off this past fall and work beyond that to a new level we have not seen since 2019.” Rodriguez went on to explain the effect COVID-19 had on their recruitment and fraternal involvement. “This new executive board is going to make it a priority to continue to recruit great men, especially those who will give to the Fraternity during all four of their years as a Coug here at WSU. More specifically, we hope to be number one in grades (usually ranked 3rd among fraternities), increase involvement in clubs and extracurriculars (allowing for a more diverse, ongoing recruitment), and lastly, continue to build off our unique tradition of creating positive experiences for our members. We believe these traditions create memories for our members which in turn, motivates them to give back to the chapter in any way possible.”